First Place Winner Doesn’t Fear Public Speaking

What do you fear most? Is it dying? Is it heights? Well, according to faceyourfearstoday.com, the number one fear is snakes and surprisingly, public speaking comes in close at number 2.

Penn Manor’s very own Jennifer Drumm wouldn’t know anything about that, though. She placed first in Extemporaneous Public Speaking, which is a competition that consists of 11 participants from all over the region.

Jennifer Drumm won first place in Extemporaneous Public Speaking. Photo By Alex Flurry.

Contestants are given half an hour to prepare a speech about one of three topics pulled from a hat. The speech is timed and must be 4-6 minutes long. After presenting it to the committee, the judges ask questions relating to the topic.

Drumm’s topic was how H1N1, or the swine flu, affected the animal population.

Drumm couldn’t believe that the fear of public speaking topped the fear of death.

“When I was a freshman I was terrified [of public speaking],” Drumm said, “I’d never raise my hand in class, but now I love it.”

It may seem like Drumm is pretty fearless, but it turns out that she has one weakness.

“Snakes. I don’t like snakes at all.”

Amber Williams placed third in senior prepared public speaking, while Margaret Drumm and Katrina Reff placed fourth and fifth place respectively. They will both move onto the regional competition.